by Mitch Glaser
You are about to embark on a theological journey to the Holy Land. The path will take you through the valleys of Scripture and the mountains of theological debate to the contemporary socio-political plains of the Middle East. Along the way, you will be introduced (or perhaps re-introduced) to a band of articulate, intelligent and biblically astute authors who will serve as your guides.
As a Messianic Jew for almost forty years, I can tell you that a book of this quality, character and courage has been needed for decades! I want to congratulate Dr. Calvin Smith of King’s Evangelical Divinity School for engaging in this highly charged and controversial study focusing on God’s plan for the Jewish people, the nation of Israel and the Arab world. I further applaud the project for taking the very critical next step of helping to provide a matrix for understanding the relationship between the Western Church and the Christian, Messianic and Muslim communities of the East.
It would be a sad mistake to underestimate the theological, political and even ecclesiastical challenge that Christians – both Jewish and Gentile – face in engaging the Muslim world for Christ. This book makes a profound contribution and provides information that is both biblical and relevant, thereby enabling followers of Jesus the Messiah to pray intelligently and thoughtfully consider our personal perspectives on issues relating to Israel and the Arab world. I view exploring our biblical roots and the complex, contemporary realities of the Middle East as a pilgrimage.
We cannot treat Israel as simply one nation among others. We also cannot view the Jewish people as just one people among many ethnic or religious groups, because we love the Jewish Messiah and we believe the Bible’s story, which primarily takes place in Israel. Christians throughout the centuries have always recognized, rightfully, that there is something special about the land of Israel and the Jewish people. You will appreciate the chapter by Howard Taylor, who makes reference to the following quote by Mark Twain regarding the special role of Israel and the Jewish people:
The Egyptian, the Babylon and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jews saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jews; all other forces pass but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality? (page 72)
A Substantial Contribution
Whatever your current perspective on Israel, the Jewish people, and the Middle East conflict, it is safe to say that these topics are especially unavoidable for thoughtful, growing believers in Jesus.
It is possible that you may never board a plane destined for the Holy Land (although it is an experience not to be missed!). You may never walk where Jesus walked and experience the land of the Bible first-hand, but through this book you can journey to the homeland of our Savior and gain a greater understanding of His “kinsmen according to the flesh.” Eminent, capable, and well-informed scholars who have thought deeply about these subjects will guide you along the way.
I am grateful to Dr. Smith for the privilege of encouraging you, dear reader, to do more than simply skim this multi-author volume, but rather to read this book with a marker and an open Bible. You will want to study these chapters and talk over the issues raised with fellow believers and your pastor, as I am certain you will find the issues in this book to be critical to your faith.
I want to further commend the editor and authors for their evident passion for their subjects. They write with both mind and heart. They also strive to be fair and just in their portrayals of Jews and Arabs, Christians, Messianic Jews and Muslims. Each writer wrestles with the scriptural data as well as the books, articles and public relations information generated on these subjects.
A Balanced Approach
There’s no doubt that an intelligent, biblically-based, politically astute and fair-minded volume is necessary to help Christians rebalance their views on the Middle East. I appreciate the authors’ attempts to present both sides of the issues as much as possible. It is clear that this volume is attempting to rebalance the way in which Christians view the conflict in the Middle East. For many years, some evangelical Christians have been pro-Israel to the point of losing objectivity – and this certainly needs to be rebalanced. Some Christians have been driven by their eschatology to make claims and projections that have been embarrassing to many believers. As an American, I can tell you that this has been true on both sides of the pond and is not simply a concern of Christians in the United Kingdom.
But in the United Kingdom and North America as well as in Western Europe, there has been a recent pro-Palestinian swing that has pushed the church to a new stage of imbalance, as the title of the book suggests by coining the term “New Supercessionism.” We cannot seek the welfare of Palestinians at the expense of Israel and the Jewish people. Unfortunately, this has been the case recently, as evidenced by the plethora of Christian books “bashing” Israel and the Jewish people.
While reading many of the books recently published about the Middle East, one gets the impression that Palestinians can do no wrong and that all the problems in the Middle East are a result of Israeli aggression. This book seeks to rebalance this perception and clarify the ways in which Islamic fundamentalists are a threat to the church, the West, and especially to Arab Christians. A number of the authors will suggest that in certain Christian circles, we have merely sanctified fundamentalist Islamic propaganda.
I have also had a deep and growing concern about the way in which the role of Jewish people in the Bible has been linked to the modern state of Israel. Of course this is true to a degree, but it is also problematic. The many popular Christian books that have promoted a pro-Palestinian Christian platform have led many in the church to lose their concern for Jewish evangelism. Great Britain has more than 400,000 Jewish people, and each one who has not already received Jesus as Saviour needs the Gospel.
I had a conversation with a Christian pro-Palestinian spokesman who has written a number of influential books that I believe have led to the imbalance that this current book attempts to correct. I asked him whether he realized that his books were actually helping to swing the Church beyond a pro-Palestinian position to one rapidly becoming anti-Israel and even anti-Jewish. I knew this was not his intention, yet it was the regrettable result of an overzealous Christian pro-Palestinian position.
Some Christians today feel that we cannot speak favourably about the need for Jewish evangelism without adding that reaching Arabs is important too! It is as if promoting Jewish evangelism is deemed unfair to Arabs, and that reaching Jewish people in London or New York City is tantamount to supporting all of Israel’s political policies. There is a confusion between modern Israel and the Jewish people in general, which is hurting Jewish missions on both sides of the pond as Christians trend towards a more pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel position.
The ecclesiastical atmosphere has been profoundly charged against Israel and the Jewish people, and while many of us involved in Messianic ministry were wondering how to rebalance the viewpoint of the church, Dr. Smith and his team had already held a conference and now produced this essential volume of essays.
We now have a book that is biblical, fair, and honest, and will hopefully enrich Christians who love the Jewish people as well as the Palestinian people and who desire to see both Jews and Muslims come to Christ. This book provides the insights and theological framework for that critical and necessary balance.
Read each chapter carefully and enjoy the journey!
Mitch Glaser, Ph.D.
President, Chosen People Ministries
New York (31 March 2009)
